Yadier Molina wants his pros to put on good show for fundraiser

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina has brought some pros, including brothers Bengie and Jose, to Daytona Beach for charity softball events.

SEAN KERNANSTAFF WRITER

DAYTONA BEACH – Yadier Molina has been a consensus pick as baseball's best defensive catcher.This week, the five-time Gold Glove catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals can lay claim to the title of baseball's best defensive player.Molina, 30, was named the best defensive player in the majors in Greatness in Baseball Yearly Award honors announced this week at baseball's winter meetings in Nashville. The GIBBY Awards, as they are known, are presented by MLB.com and decided by votes from media, MLB front-office personnel, former big leaguers, fans and Society of American Baseball Research members.It's one more honor in a career that has plenty of baseball left – future all-star games, likely playoffs and maybe another World Series title or two given the fact he has two championship rings already from past fall classics.Thursday night, Molina was at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort mingling with sponsors and guests who are supporting a home run derby and charity softball doubleheader Friday night and Saturday afternoon, respectively, at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Proceeds will benefit Molina's charitable Foundation 4.“We're helping every cause we can,” Molina said while taking a short break from posing for photos with fans and signing autographs. “We're helping abused kids, we're helping people with cancer, you name it. That's why I'm into it.”This will be the third such fundraising event for Foundation 4, which gets its name from Molina's jersey number. The first two were in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, where Foundation 4 provides assistance “because there is such a great need there,” Molina said.The youngest of three Molina brothers to play in the big leagues said he can't wait to get on the field at the Jack and launch some long balls.“It's going to be a blast,” Molina said with a smile. “It's going to be awesome being out there with my brothers and friends.”Bengie Molina, 38, who played 13 seasons in the majors, and Jose Molina, 37, a Tampa Bay Rays catcher entering his 14th big league season, will be slugging for the pros. The Molina brothers will be joined by St. Louis first baseman Tony Cruz, Cardinals third-base coach and former major leaguer Jose Oquendo and former minor leaguer Roberto Lopez. Team Easton softball sluggers Scott Kirby and Kevin Kennington also will be in the home run contest.Three amateurs – Gary Malphurs of Edgewater, Roger Huff of Ocala and Chris Gatewood of St. Augustine – also will take part in the SportsVolusia.com Home Run Derby that begins at 7 p.m. Friday.Several pros (Carlos Beltran, Jon Jay, Rafael Furcal and Pedro Feliciano) who were scheduled to be here dropped out Thursday, organizer Danny Acosta said.But for those players who are here, Yadier Molina said they want to put on a good show in the home run derby and Saturday's 3 p.m. game against the winner of the Hilton Brawl at the Beach championship game at 1 p.m. between Giles Electric and the 7th Inning Villains.“We're going to play good, we're going to have fun and we're going to protect ourselves,” Yadier said. “I've got my team ready to go.”The pros even went to the Jack on Thursday afternoon for a practice, Molina said.Clearly the main attraction to this weekend's events is fans get to see the only three brothers in baseball history to win World Series. Between the three Molinas, there are five World Series rings.And it's a rarity – happening just once before in recent years – for the Molinas to be on the same diamond competing, even if it's just a friendly home run derby and charity softball game.“This is only the second time in years the three of us are going to be on the same field,” Yadier said. “It's awesome.”So where will the three Molinas play on the field?"Bengie's going to DH, I'm going to play shortstop and Jose is going to play second base," Yadier said, his smile growing ever wider.